Russia's Lavrov renews warning to West against supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine

In its latest warning to the West amid the Moscow-Kyiv war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that the longer the range of weapons that Western countries will supply to Ukraine, the further Russia will move away from the line of threat from its territory. According to Russian news agency TASS, during a press briefing, Lavrov even referred to the previous warnings floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin over weapons delivery to Ukraine by the West. The Kremlin leader had said that Moscow’s forces would hit Ukrainian targets "not yet struck" if the West supplies missiles to Ukraine. 

Lavrov on Monday cautioned, “Russian President Vladimir Putin has already commented on the situation that will emerge with the arrival of new armaments and I can only add that the longer the range of armaments that you will supply, the further away we will move from our territory the line, beyond which Neo-Nazis can threaten the Russian Federation.”

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, it is wrong to make the situation boil to "had there been no special operation, there would have been no weapons supplies," which is a simplification. Reiterating the disagreement Russia has with NATO and the Western nations, Lavrov said, “The point is that we had been warning Great Britain, the United States and other NATO members for 20 years: ‘Dear friends, you signed the commitment in 1999 that no state will strengthen its security at the expense of other states’ security and so why can’t you do that? Why did it turn out to be a lie?”

He went on to point out, “And instead, you say: ‘get away from us, we admit whom we want.’ And you have expanded five times closer to our borders.”

Lavrov’s remarks came in the backdrop of the United States administration announcing on June 1 that it would provide a “more advanced” military aid package to Ukraine including  HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) weapons and ammunition. US President Joe Biden's administration said that the first batch would include four rocket systems. 

US supply of weapons can drag ‘third country’ into war: Lavrov

This is not the first time that the Russian Foreign Minister threatened the West against sending weapons to Ukraine. After the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to deliver advanced weapons for Ukrainian forces in a new $700 million aid package, Lavrov had said Washington’s move would raise the risk of dragging a "third country" into the conflict. 

"These risks certainly exist. The things that the Kyiv regime unapologetically demands from its western patrons, firstly, overstep all bounds of decency and diplomatic relations and, secondly, are a direct provocation aimed at drawing the West into combat," Al Arabiya English quoted Lavrov as saying. 

Image: AP